At the start of things; new years, new decades, new seasons, we look to the possibilities. We have hopes and dreams for this future we see spanning ahead of us. We make plans and set goals and set our hopes by hitting them. We hope for good things, like a wish we can make true.

We set off with a hope translated into expectation, the way it should be. And yet. Sometimes our dreams come crashing down around us. Time outruns us. Plans fail. Dreams die. Hope is lost. But not all hope.

And then things start to go well and suddenly a curve ball, situations change, people let you down. Just this week whilst trying to write this piece on hope, something that made our family feel hopeful changed and again I found myself navigating dashed hopes, dealing with people letting us down and disappointment. My biggest loss of hope was when a business my husband and I owned couldn’t continue to function. Dreams of providing a home and income for our family were broken. I started to lose hope that God would ever provide for us again. It broke my heart to see my dreams fail. Especially those that felt God ordained. Over the journey of recovery there have been amazing times of provision where we find hope but there have also been situations so unbelievably difficult where the enemy of hope seemed to reign. It doesn’t always make sense and I’ve often had to reevaluate and remember where and what I put my hope in. Hope involves trust and it is difficult to hope on things, situations or on people when we can’t trust them. They are all fallible.

Have you ever felt that you have lost all hope for something? Lost hope for a treasured dream or expectation of the way things will go. It hurts, and it’s a place where fear can reign. Where you feel as if nothing good will happen again. When all seems irretrievable, irreparable, lost. To be fully hopeless is a desperate situation, there comes a despair that kills our very soul. A darkness that claws at your soul. A lie that nothing will ever be good again. Loss of hope for a future that will be bearable. A loss of hope that questions your faith and makes you re work it from the ground up. To lose all hope feels like a kind of death – many dark nights for your soul. When we feel as if there is no hope, no future, we despair. If you are in this place my heart goes out to you and I can not say I know your unique situation, but know this, you are not alone and you are loved.

It says in the psalms that hope deferred makes the heart sick. The word hopeless in our daily language has become so common it has lost its potent, truly horrendous meaning. Hopeless is not something anyone wants to be.

But I believe there is a timeless hope. I have a hope for a future in heaven. At a point of broken dreams, there is also the chance for another new start, a hope for a future here and now. A hope that brings the promise of a life lived in the way it was already planned out. There is now another clean slate and the chance to dream again, once the previous dream is grieved, or re-evaluated, re-born.

It is said that God put eternity in our hearts, we feel within us this longing for something else, a better world, without suffering and pain.

“For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven – God-made – not handmade – and we’ll never have to relocate our ‘tents’ again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move – and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we’re tired of it! We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The spirit of God whets’s our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less.”
2 Corinthians 5:1 (MSG)

I dream again now, but maybe with a more open hand than before and always through the filter of the ultimate hope of heaven. I am tentatively, cautiously allowing myself to dream again because I know my soul needs to hope. To hope is to let go of our limited expectations and to swap them for a joyful expectation, an unknown daring expectation for that which is not known and can not be planned out and may even surprise us on this earth. To faithfully trust that with God, the path worked out for us is better than any we can imagine. Real hope is found in the one in whom we can put our trust because he is faithful to his promises. I have a better, sure, steadfast, hope which is an anchor for my soul. My life may be a boat tossed about in the waves of this worlds troubles, but I am held, I will not be lost or sunk. I will stay secure in my everlasting, timeless hope.

We do not need to despair, our future is in the hands of God. I have hope for abundant life now and ever after, we have the hope that God is coming and all will be well. I have the hope of God with me in every moment.

Bible verses on hope

We have this hope as an anchor for our soul, and it is firm and secure. Hebrews 6:19

but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.
Psalm 130:5

Hope creative project

Take a moment to breathe, slow your breathing and think of the word hope. What does it mean to you that Your hope is in Jesus? The creative project is to make holding pebbles that you can have in your pocket to remind you of your hope or just have in your home as a visual reminder of your hope – which is an anchor for your soul and like a rock it is firm and secure.

Print out the photo below at the right size for your pebble and use as an anchor template. Place the anchor on your pebble and draw around it in pencil.

I drew the anchor in two ways:

Using a paint pen, dot around the anchor outline and then increase a few times outwards.

2. Using your paint pen go over the pencil outline with the paint pen and then fill in the anchor with white dots.

For the word hope, write the word in script writing in pencil on the pebble first then go over with your paint pen.

You might want to include the verse reference Hebrews 6:19.

When the paint has dried spray the stone or rock with a clear sealer. Place the pebbles in a box to act as a spray booth.

I pray that this rock or pebble will remind you of the hope you have in Jesus, as you see it in your home. As you keep it in your pocket or on display, let it remind you that we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, and your hope in Jesus is firm and secure. He holds you safe.

I don’t always have peace of mind. And I’m willing to guess that you don’t have either. The ridiculous pressure that we put on ourselves to create a good life; the well-considered career, the tasteful and clean home, the perfectly cooked dinners and families that live and grow well together and meaningful friendships. The highlight reels that we showcase on social media, that thinly disguise our insecurities over whether we really are living the life that we think everyone else wants to have. Every new year where we question our goals, our life direction, and jobs. Our minds become unsettled and sometimes lack peace.

Peace of mind, it’s a common term, we talk of not having peace of mind. How about peace in the soul, are the two connected? I think so. When our minds are at peace our soul is also at peace. Is it possible to have peace in our souls when we don’t have peace of mind? I think so too. Because peace may need to start in our soul to transfer to our minds, and sometimes it doesn’t quite reach our minds.

Have you ever felt unsettled, where a decision or concern weighs heavy on your mind? Or that nagging sense of there always being something that needs figuring out? What about when those answers that your mind desperately longs for but God seems silent on and that breaks your heart. Answers that are not easily found. Hearts that grieve. We live at a frantic pace and often don’t stop long enough to consider what peace in our minds actually feels like, we drown out our restlessness inside with busyness on the outside. Life is busy, we have many concerns and demands on our time. We have jobs, family, we have friends, homes, errands that all require our time and our thoughts. There is always something to do, somewhere to be, something to think about. Our minds roam around looking for peace and our bodies don’t settle. Peace seems elusive and yet we yearn for more of it. We want peace in our minds and hearts. At Christmas we send cards declaring peace and we buy peace as a decorative word to declare over our home and our lives. Do we stop to consider what that peace is, how did the birth of Christ really bring peace into a fractious world? Can we have that peace ourselves?

One of the deepest requirements of our soul is peace. The peace of that deep breath at the centre of our being where everything is all right, deep in our soul. I’m so aware that everything is not all right. All around is turbulence. Our external world is full of trouble and turmoil, and our internal world doesn’t bear that lightly.

So how do we find this elusive soul peace where also our heart is at rest, our mind is stilled? If Jesus is the Prince of Peace what does that mean to our troubled minds and our restless soul? How do we have this peace in our minds, heart and soul? I think it begins with the story of Christmas, of God come down, God with us. God as Jesus. This peace comes to me through the indwelling of Jesus in my soul through the presence of his Holy Spirit. God indwelling, God with us. God in my mind, God in my heart, God in my soul. It comes in my surrender to him. Our true, only hope for peace is with him and in him. I think that doesn’t mean that we always have peace of mind. I may have peace in my soul but I still have trouble in my mind. I think that is part of the soul’s peace, to trust that the trouble in my mind will not unseat the peace of God in my soul. That I can put the questions, concerns, burdens down for a while and treasure the peace in my soul without needing to have that peace of mind. And that maybe, after a while, this trouble doesn’t feel so pressing, so immediate, I can rest in his presence and trust him in his ways and that peace will transcend my understanding.

Bible verses on peace

The Lord blesses his people with peace.
Psalm 29:11

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone Lord make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4:8

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way.
2 Thess 3:16

Peace creative project

Wooden block picture

It is my prayer that your project would serve as a reminder to live daily in that awareness of God’s peace. As you sit in Jesus’ presence let his peace flow through you. Be aware of his love for you and may it still your heart. Breathe in his presence. Let his peace reign in your heart. His peace reigns in you and gives you peace. The peace that transcends all understanding, that guards your heart and mind.

When Jesus was baptised it says that the spirit came down from heaven as a dove and remained on him. The intention of this picture you create is that it will encourage and remind you that God’s holy presence – his spirit – represented by the dove, indwelling in you can bring you his Peace.

When you start this project, prepare a space, protect your clothes and gather your materials and equipment. Take a moment before starting to breathe and slow yourself. There is no pressure of results here, the process of creating is as meaningful as the finished item. The time spent creating in God’s presence is an act of worship and can be done mindfully whilst meditating on his truths.

First paint the block in a blue colour, you can follow this tutorial to the letter or add your own creative flourish. I am using the colour blue as in colour psychology it represents peace and serenity. As you paint notice your brush strokes and how peaceful it is in the rhythm of your hands.

Leave the block to dry. Using a dry brush dip it in the pink paint and on a spare piece of paper, paint strokes to remove most of the colour, then brush over the blue on the block to add streaks.

Using your cut out dove template, trace around the dove onto your chosen paper in pencil. I have chosen a printed texture white paper, but you could again use your own choice of paper. The dove represents the Holy Spirit.

When the paint has dried, for a weathered look you may want to sandpaper some of the edges of the block.

Placing your printed peace word in top of your picture, with pencil go over the outline of the word peace pressing firmly. It should transfer an outline of the word onto the wood block, if the wood is soft enough. Mix your blue paint with a little white paint and fill in the word with paint, using a fine paintbrush.

With a brush, paint a thin layer of decoupage medium into the block where you want to place your dove and smooth your dove down on to it. Cover over the dove and the rest of the block with a thin layer of decoupage glue. Leave to dry.

Cover the whole picture with another thin layer of decoupage medium to seal. You may need to paint a few layers.

Screw a picture hook to the back of the picture to hang.

Hang your picture in your home and I pray that it reminds you as you go about your daily life that Jesus is your indwelling peace through his Holy Spirit.

This is a chapter from Re: create restore your creative soul, a creative devotional guide. You can buy it here.

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Lately, I have had a lot of things to get done. I have been juggling a part-time job, launching a new magazine, spending time with my husband, parenting three children and running their busy lives, (or rather, running them around for their busy lives!) There have been snow days and dental appointments, drama productions and upcoming exams, there are broken drainpipes and peeling paint on bathroom ceilings. Not to mention all the other daily and weekly chores that have to get done. We also have the normal and abnormal financial pressures and family commitments and it all gets a bit overwhelming. I’m sure you have your own kind of busy days and weeks too. There is always something to think on, plan for or worry about. Making a breathing space for my mind and soul has to be intentional, it doesn’t just happen without my choice to turn the whirring thoughts off. I have to practice the absence of worry and planning to be present, fully present to the real, good and true things of life.

One

Being present means making space to notice the small things, the beautiful things, the real things. Those moments that bring delight and joy and make life seem worthwhile. The moments that make us exhale with contentment and a sense that ‘it is well with my soul’. The beauty around that requires nothing from us. I have to ignore, for a time, the hard things and notice the good things, in order for those hard things to feel a little more surmountable and smaller.

One way I try to be intentional about noticing these moments is to intentionally seek them out by taking photos of beautiful flowers or nature and that which helps me to exhale. When it feels like I haven’t had time to be creative, I know that this is creativity; to stop and notice and capture.

I’ve made some Spring phone screens to remind us that creativity can be as complicated as stopping, noticing and capturing. Capturing a photo on a phone. Click on the photo to get the downloads.

Two

I also know that noticing the small gifts, those small moments and then being grateful for them helps me to be present to the moment. Gratitude directed to someone is full of purpose. Gratitude for someone has a direction, an energy, an intent, it is not merely a feeling that makes me feel good. Gratitude directed and expressed becomes an act of love. Have you noticed that showing thanks to someone is a reciprocal act? I honour and bless the recipient of my thanks, it is not only I that feels better. I’m not naturally inclined to feel grateful so anything that helps me to be more intentionally thankful helps. I want to be present for others too. So I’ve made some printable thanks cards for us.